Inventory management system

Abstract

According to the present invention, an inventory management system that performs inventory management of a plurality of consumables that include ink and intensifier that are to be used by an inkjet printer comprises an information reading device that reads RFID information that includes at least a lot number and an expiration date from RFID tags on the consumables, an information management device that stores RFID information for the consumables that are installed and in use at the inkjet printer and RFID information for each of a plurality of the consumables that are being stored as inventory at the location where the inkjet printer is installed, and a control device that controls the operation of the inkjet printer. When the consumables that are installed at the inkjet printer are to be replaced, the control device presents the lot numbers of consumables that are recommended for the replacement on the basis of the RFID information for the consumables that are stored as inventory. The present invention thereby makes it possible to more appropriately manage the expiration dates of consumables such as ink and intensifier.

Description

Inventory Management System

[0001] The present invention relates to an inventory control system.

[0002] In so-called industrial inkjet printers (IJPs), it is necessary to manage the inventory of consumables such as ink and intensifying liquid. For example, a technology described in Patent Document 1 is known as a technology for managing inventory using a network system that allows users and distributors to check the usage amount of consumables.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an inventory management system that manages the inventory of consumables used in each of multiple pieces of equipment installed at a production site, and includes a management unit that manages the inventory numbers of consumables used in each of the multiple pieces of equipment for each predetermined group, an acquisition unit that acquires consumable information related to the degree of consumption of consumables used in each piece of equipment from each of the multiple pieces of equipment, and a judgment unit that determines whether or not the consumable needs to be replaced based on the consumable information of the consumables acquired by the acquisition unit, and the management unit updates the inventory number of the group to which the consumable belongs based on the fact that the consumable determined by the judgment unit to need replacement has been replaced.

[0004] International Publication No. 2023 / 286156

[0005] In industrial inkjet printers, the ink and intensifying liquid used for printing have expiration dates. If ink or intensifying liquid that has degraded beyond its expiration date is used, there is a concern that print quality may decline or the device may malfunction. Therefore, for example, by installing an RFID tag with expiration date data registered on each bottle containing the ink or intensifying liquid and checking the expiration date when replacing the ink or intensifying liquid bottle, it is possible to prevent the use of expired ink or intensifying liquid in the inkjet printer.

[0006] However, in an environment where many industrial inkjet printers are installed, such as a factory with multiple production lines, there is a large amount of ink and intensifying liquid in stock, making it extremely cumbersome to properly manage expiration dates. In such cases, there is a concern that the expiration date of the stock may pass before replacement, making it unusable, and when it becomes necessary to replace the ink, there may be no usable ink in stock.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an inventory management system that can more appropriately manage the expiration dates of consumables such as ink and intensifying liquid.

[0008] The present application includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems. One example is an inventory management system that manages inventory of multiple consumables including ink and intensifying liquid used in an inkjet printer, and includes an information reading device that reads RFID information including at least a lot number and an expiration date from an RFID tag attached to the consumables, an information management device that stores RFID information of consumables that are installed in the inkjet printer and in use, and RFID information for each of multiple consumables stored as inventory at the site where the inkjet printer is installed, and a control device that controls the operation of the inkjet printer, and when the consumables installed in the inkjet printer are to be replaced, the control device presents the lot number of the consumable that is recommended for replacement based on the RFID information of the consumables stored as inventory.

[0009] According to the present invention, the expiration dates of consumables such as ink and intensifying liquid can be more appropriately managed.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of an inventory management system. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an inkjet printer. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of RFID information recorded on an RFID tag. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of information registered and managed at the time of shipment of consumables. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of a process for notifying a user of the expiration date of a consumable to be replaced. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of a process for notifying a user when a consumable has not been properly replaced.

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] This embodiment is an example for explaining the present invention, and for the sake of clarity, some omissions and simplifications have been made as appropriate. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0013] Although various types of information may be described using expressions such as "table," "list," and "queue" as examples, the various types of information may also be expressed using data structures other than these. For example, various types of information such as "XX table," "XX list," and "XX queue" may also be expressed as "XX information." When describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, but these are interchangeable.

[0014] When there are multiple components with the same or similar functions, they may be described using the same reference numeral with different subscripts. When there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0015] In the embodiments, processing performed by executing a program may be described. Here, a computer executes the program using a processor (e.g., a CPU or a GPU) and performs processing defined by the program using storage resources (e.g., memory) and interface devices (e.g., communication ports). Therefore, the entity performing the processing by executing the program may be the processor. Similarly, the entity performing the processing by executing the program may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The entity performing the processing by executing the program may be any computing unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device).

[0016] A program may be installed on a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. In addition, in the embodiments, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0017] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an inventory management system according to the present embodiment. In this embodiment, an inventory management system that manages the inventory of consumables such as ink and intensifying liquid used in industrial inkjet printers (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as inkjet printers) used in factory production lines, etc., will be described as an example.

[0018] In FIG. 1, the inventory management system 100 is broadly composed of a plurality of inkjet printers 210, a factory 200 in which they are installed, a supplier 600 of consumables 10 for the inkjet printers 210, and an information management device 410 formed on a cloud 400.

[0019] The factory 200 is a production site where production activities are carried out using inkjet printers 210, and multiple inkjet printers 210 (only one is shown here) are arranged to form a production line. In the factory 200, spare consumables 10 such as ink and intensifying liquid are stored as inventory for replacement in the inkjet printers 210. The ink and intensifying liquid, which are the consumables 10, are each contained in a dedicated bottle. For example, the ink and intensifying liquid can be replenished by replacing the bottle installed in the inkjet printer 210.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the general configuration of the inkjet printer.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the inkjet printer 210 includes a touch panel 211, a control device 212, a circulation device 213, a drive unit 214, an RFID reader 215, a main tank 216, a sub-ink bottle 217, a sub-intensifying liquid bottle 218, a voltage sensor 219, a print head 220, and the like.

[0022] The inkjet printer 210 is an industrial inkjet printer that prints by charging the ink particles with a voltage proportional to the positional information of each pixel that makes up a character when the supplied ink is ejected from the nozzles of the print head 220, and deflecting the ink in an electrostatic field to reach various printed materials. The print head 220 is equipped with a voltage sensor 219 that detects the charge state of the ink particles, and the detection result is sent to the control device 212.

[0023] The ink stored in the main tank 216 is supplied to the print head 220 by a circulation device 213 composed of a pump, pipes, etc. and used for printing, and ink not used by the print head 220 is collected by a gutter and returned to the main tank 216 by the circulation device 213.

[0024] The sub-ink bottle 217 stores ink to be supplied to the main tank 216 when the ink in the main tank 216 falls below a specified amount or when the ink in the main tank 216 becomes thinner than a specified value. As the sub-ink bottle 217, an ink bottle storing ink as the consumable 10 can be replaced and used as is.

[0025] The sub-intensifying liquid bottle 218 stores an intensifying liquid, which is a solvent that is added to the ink to reduce and control the viscosity to an appropriate value when the ink supplied from the main tank 216 to the print head 220 becomes thicker due to the volatilization of solvent components, etc. The sub-intensifying liquid bottle 218 can be replaced with an intensifying liquid bottle that stores the intensifying liquid as the consumable 10.

[0026] The control device 212 controls the overall operation of the inkjet printer 210, and controls the operation of the inkjet printer 210 based on instructions and setting values ​​input from the touch panel 211, information read by an RFID reader 215 (information reader), etc. The control device 212 also has a communication function, and can exchange various information with an information management device 410 on the cloud 400 via an electric communication network 300 (mobile network) for mobile communication.

[0027] The RFID reader 215 is a device that reads RFID information from an RFID tag attached to each of the consumables 10 such as an ink bottle or an intensifying liquid bottle.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of RFID information recorded in an RFID tag.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, the RFID tag attached to the consumable 10 records at least the ID (ink ID, intensifying liquid ID), expiration date, and lot number 113 of the attached consumable 10 as RFID information 11.

[0030] The ink ID 111 is identification information indicating the type of ink. Similarly, the intensifying liquid ID is identification information indicating the type of intensifying liquid.

[0031] The expiration date is the date by which a certain level of quality is guaranteed for the use of the consumable item 10 that is properly stored in the recommended environment. If the consumable item 10 is used before the expiration date, deterioration of the quality is negligible and a certain level of quality is guaranteed. Conversely, if the expiration date has passed, the quality of the consumable item 10 is no longer guaranteed and it is no longer suitable for use.

[0032] A lot number is a number (numbers and letters) assigned to a product for identification and tracking purposes, and is linked to information such as the product's manufacturing date, time, and identification code.

[0033] When the consumable 10 is loaded into the inkjet printer 210 (including when it is replaced), the factory user 230 uses the RFID reader 215 to read the RFID information 11 from the RFID tag attached to the loaded consumable 10. The RFID information 11 thus read, i.e., the RFID information of the consumable 10 loaded into the inkjet printer 210 and in use, is stored in the information management device 410 on the cloud 400 via the telecommunications network 300 (mobile network) for mobile communications.

[0034] When the consumables 10 are delivered from the supplier 600 to the factory 200, the factory user 230 reads the RFID information 11 from the RFID tag attached to the delivered consumables 10 using the RFID reader 215. The RFID information 11 thus read, i.e., the RFID information of the consumables 10 stored in the factory 200 as inventory, is stored in the information management device 410 on the cloud 400 via the telecommunications network 300 (mobile network) for mobile communication.

[0035] The supplier 600 is a business that manufactures and sells the consumables 10, and supplies the consumables 10, such as ink and intensifying liquid, used in the inkjet printer 210. The supplier 600 registers and manages various information (delivery data) related to the consumables 10 to be shipped and delivered to the factory 200. The registration of the information on the shipped consumables 10 is performed, for example, by the operation of a terminal 610 by a service person 620 of the supplier 600. The registered information, i.e., the delivery data on the consumables 10 stored in the factory 200 as inventory, is stored in the information management device 410 on the cloud 400 via the Internet 500.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information registered and managed at the time of shipping of consumables.

[0037] 4, the information (delivery data) of the consumables 10 that is registered and managed includes, for example, RFID information 11 (ID 111, expiration date 112, lot number 113) recorded on the RFID tag of the consumables 10, as well as information such as the type of consumables 10 (e.g., ink bottle cartridge type) and the delivered quantity. By referring to the delivery data, it can be confirmed, for example, that the factory 200 has in stock consumables 10 with ID "3," type "1067K," expiration date "2023.8.5," and lot number "4567B," and that the quantity is "330."

[0038] The information management device 410 is composed of one or more server devices 411 and storage devices 412 provided on the cloud 400. The server devices 411 control the information management device, and store information sent from the factory 200 (inkjet printers 210) and the supplier 600 (terminals 610) in the storage device 412. In addition, the server devices 411 read out information from the storage device 412 in response to requests from the factory 200 (inkjet printers 210) and the supplier 600 (terminals 610) and returns the information.

[0039] The operation of the inventory management system configured as above will now be described.

[0040] <Inventory Management System 100> The inventory management system 100 according to this embodiment manages inventory of consumables 10 such as ink and intensifying liquid used in industrial inkjet printers (inkjet printers 210) used on production lines in a factory 200 or the like.

[0041] <Factory 200> Inkjet printers 210 are arranged on each of a plurality of production lines in the factory 200. The inkjet printers 210 produce various products using ink and intensifying liquid, which are consumables 10, i.e., perform printing on printing targets.

[0042] When the consumables 10 are mounted in the inkjet printer 210 in the form of ink bottles or intensifying liquid bottles, the RFID information 11 is read by the RFID reader 215 when the consumables 10 are mounted in the inkjet printer 210. The read RFID information 11 is sent to and stored in the information management device 410. Note that not only the RFID information 11 but also various other information obtained by the inkjet printer 210 is sent to and stored in the information management device 410.

[0043] When the consumables 10 stored as inventory in the factory 200 are delivered to the factory 200, the RFID information 11 is read by the RFID reader 215. The read RFID information 11 is sent to the information management device 410 and stored therein.

[0044] When the consumables 10 installed in the inkjet printer 210 are replaced, the control device 212 of the inkjet printer 210 presents the lot number of the consumables 10 recommended for replacement to the factory user 230, for example, by displaying it on the touch panel 211, based on the RFID information 11 of the consumables 10 stored as inventory. Note that the consumables 10 may be replaced when the inkjet printer 210 determines that the consumables 10 need to be replaced and prompts the factory user 230 to do so, for example, when the consumables 10 run out or when the expiration date of the consumables 10 has passed (or has passed), or when the factory user 230 voluntarily replaces the consumables 10 for various reasons.

[0045] For example, when the consumables 10 installed in the inkjet printer 210 are replaced, if the factory user 230 performs an operation to replace the consumables on the touch panel 211, the control device 212 reads the RFID information 11 of the consumables 10 stored as inventory in the factory 200, which is the production site, from the information management device 410, and presents the lot number of the consumables 10 with the closest expiration date among multiple consumables 10 of the same type as the consumables 10 to be replaced to the factory user 230. This allows the expiration dates of the consumables 10, such as ink and intensifying liquid, to be managed more appropriately.

[0046] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process of notifying the user of the expiration date of the consumable item to be replaced.

[0047] As shown in Figure 5, the control device 212 of the inkjet printer 210 takes into consideration the relationship between the estimated usage amount of the consumable 10 and the expiration date, and notifies the user if it is predicted that the expiration date will pass before the consumable 10 is used up.

[0048] Specifically, the control device 212 of the inkjet printer 210 calculates the standard consumption amount of the consumable 10 per unit period (e.g., daily consumption amount) based on the consumption amount of the consumable 10 registered daily. When the consumable 10 of the inkjet printer 210 is replaced, the information management device 410 reads the bottle capacity and expiration date of the replaced consumable 10 installed in the inkjet printer 210. Next, the control device 212 calculates the number of days planned for use of the consumable 10 ([(bottle capacity) / (daily consumption amount)]) based on the standard consumption amount and the bottle capacity, and compares this with the number of days until the expiration date of the consumable 10 installed in the inkjet printer 210 (remaining days until expiration date) to determine whether the consumable 10 will be used up within the expiration date (step S110).

[0049] If the determination result in step S110 is YES, that is, if it is determined that the consumable item 10 cannot be used up within its expiration date, the determination result is notified to the factory user 230 by displaying it on the touch panel 211 (step S120), and the process is terminated.

[0050] If the determination result in step S110 is NO, that is, if it is determined that the consumable item 10 can be used up within the expiration date, the process ends without notifying the factory user 230.

[0051] If the remaining expiration date is not managed when replacing ink or intensifying liquid, it is possible that the expiration date will be reached immediately after replacing the ink or intensifying liquid or during use. In such cases, there is a concern that ink or intensifying liquid that has expired and is deteriorating will be used, gradually deteriorating print quality. In contrast, in this embodiment, if it is predicted that the expiration date will be exceeded before the consumables 10 such as ink or intensifying liquid are used up, the factory user 230 is notified of this. This makes it possible to suppress the use of consumables 10 that have expired and the deterioration of print quality.

[0052] Furthermore, some industrial inkjet printers (inkjet printers) automatically clean the print head, eliminating the need for manual cleaning of the print head. In such industrial inkjet printers, the ink and intensifying liquid are consumed only within the device, allowing for more accurate information on their consumption. In other words, the relationship between the expiration date of the consumables 10 and the expiration date of the consumables, such as the ink and intensifying liquid, can be determined more accurately, allowing for more appropriate management of the expiration dates of the consumables.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process of notifying the user when the replacement of a consumable item has not been properly performed.

[0054] As shown in Figure 6, if the total amount of consumption of the consumables 10 registered daily exceeds the capacity of the consumables 10, the control device 212 of the inkjet printer 210 notifies the user that the replacement of the consumables 10 has not been carried out properly.

[0055] Specifically, the control device 212 of the inkjet printer 210 calculates the total consumption amount of the consumables 10 based on the daily registered consumption amount of the consumables 10. The control device 212 reads the bottle capacity of the consumables 10 installed in the inkjet printer 210 and the registration date of the RFID information 11 from the information management device 410, and determines at predetermined intervals (e.g., once a day) whether the total consumption amount of the consumables 10 from the registration date of the RFID information 11 has exceeded a specified amount (bottle capacity) (step S210).

[0056] If the determination result in step S210 is YES, that is, if it is determined that the total amount of consumption of the consumables 10 exceeds the bottle capacity, the factory user 230 is notified by displaying on the touch panel 211 that an incorrect operation of the consumables 10 such as ink or intensifying liquid has occurred (step S220), and the process is terminated.

[0057] If the determination result in step S110 is NO, that is, if it is determined that the consumable item 10 can be used up within the expiration date, the process ends without notifying the factory user 230.

[0058] The fact that the consumption of the consumable 10 since the RFID registration date exceeds the bottle capacity (step S210: YES) may indicate that the consumable 10 has been used without RFID registration, i.e., the ink bottle or intensifying liquid bottle has not been replaced and continued to be used by illegally refilling ink or intensifying liquid, or that an incorrect replacement operation of the consumable 10 has been performed. For example, when refilling and using ink or intensifying liquid (consumable 10) made by a third party whose quality is not guaranteed, there is a concern that print quality may deteriorate or the device may malfunction. For this reason, by notifying the incorrect operation, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of print quality deterioration, device malfunction, etc. Note that information indicating that the factory user 230 has determined that the usage method is incorrect is sent to the information management device 410 and also notified to the terminal 610 of the supplier 600.

[0059] As another process, the control device 212 of the inkjet printer 210 estimates the planned replacement date for the consumable 10 based on the total amount of consumption of the consumable 10 registered daily and the capacity of the consumable 10, and notifies the factory user 230 by displaying the date on the touch panel 211, for example.

[0060] <Supplier 600> The supplier 600 is provided with a service person 620 and a terminal 610 operated by the service person 620. The service person 620 operates the terminal 610 to manage the delivery (shipment) of the consumables 10, etc.

[0061] When the consumables 10 are shipped from the supplier 600 to the factory 200, the service personnel 620 reads the RFID information 11 from the RFID tag attached to the consumables 10 to be shipped. The RFID information 11 thus read, i.e., the delivery data of the consumables 10 stored in the factory 200 as inventory, is stored in the information management device 410 on the cloud 400 via the Internet 500.

[0062] The service personnel 620 of the supplier 600 reads information about the inventory of the consumables 10 in the factory 200 from the information management device 410, and when the remaining inventory of the consumables 10 in the factory 200 falls below a predetermined quantity, the service personnel 620 can notify the factory user 230 of this fact by means of, for example, email and suggest replenishing the consumables 10 (minimum inventory notification). Furthermore, depending on the content of the contract, it is also possible to not only notify the supplier but also automatically deliver the consumables 10 to the factory 200 (automatic replenishment). This makes it possible to prevent shortages of the consumables 10 in the factory 200 and prevent production line shutdowns, etc.

[0063] Furthermore, the service personnel 620 of the supplier 600 reads information relating to the expiration date of the consumables 10 in the factory 200 from the information management device 410, and presents to the factory user 230 the lot number of the consumables 10 with the nearest expiration date among the multiple consumables stored as inventory in the factory 200. This allows for more appropriate management of the expiration dates of the consumables 10, such as ink and intensifying liquid.

[0064] In addition, the service personnel 620 of the supplier 600 reads information regarding the usage amount and expiration date of the consumables 10 in the factory 200 from the information management device 410, and if it is predicted that the expiration date will pass before the consumables 10 are used up, notifies the factory user 230 of this fact.

[0065] In addition, the service personnel 620 of the supplier 600 reads information regarding the usage amount and expiration date of the consumables 10 in the factory 200 from the information management device 410, and estimates the planned replacement date for the consumables 10 based on the total amount of consumption of the consumables 10 registered daily and the capacity of the consumables 10, and notifies the factory user 230 of how many days it will take for the consumables 10 to run out.

[0066] Furthermore, the service personnel 620 of the supplier 600 reads information relating to the amount of use and expiration date of the consumables 10 in the factory 200 from the information management device 410, and if the total amount of consumption of the consumables 10 registered daily exceeds the capacity of the consumables 10, notifies the factory user 230 that the replacement of the consumables 10 has not been properly carried out. Furthermore, a service can be provided such as recommending an inspection to prevent equipment failure that may occur due to an incorrect method of replacing the consumables 10.

[0067] The effects of the present embodiment configured as above will be described.

[0068] In industrial inkjet printers, the ink and intensifying liquid used for printing have expiration dates. If ink or intensifying liquid that has degraded beyond its expiration date is used, there is a concern that print quality may decline or the device may malfunction. Therefore, for example, by installing an RFID tag with expiration date data registered on each bottle containing the ink or intensifying liquid and checking the expiration date when replacing the ink or intensifying liquid bottle, it is possible to prevent the use of expired ink or intensifying liquid in the inkjet printer.

[0069] However, in an environment where many industrial inkjet printers are installed, such as a factory with multiple production lines, there is a large amount of ink and intensifying liquid in stock, making it extremely cumbersome to properly manage expiration dates. In such cases, there is a concern that the expiration date of the stock may pass before replacement, making it unusable, and when it becomes necessary to replace the ink, there may be no usable ink in stock.

[0070] In contrast, in the present embodiment, in an inventory management system 100 that manages inventory of a plurality of consumables 10 including ink and intensifying liquid used in an inkjet printer 210, an RFID reader 215 that reads RFID information 11 including at least a lot number and an expiration date from an RFID tag attached to the consumable 10, and an information management device 410 that stores the RFID information 11 of the consumables 10 that are mounted on the inkjet printer 210 and in use, and the RFID information 11 of each of the plurality of consumables 10 stored as inventory in the factory 200 where the inkjet printer 210 is installed, and a control device 212 that controls the operation of the inkjet printer 210. The control device 212 is configured to present the lot number of the consumable 10 that is recommended for replacement based on the RFID information 11 of the consumables 10 stored as inventory when the consumables 10 mounted on the inkjet printer 210 are replaced, thereby more appropriately managing the expiration dates of consumables such as ink and intensifying liquid.

[0071] 10... Consumables, 11... RFID information, 100... Inventory management system, 111... Ink ID, 112... Expiration date, 200... Factory, 210... Inkjet printer, 211... Touch panel, 212... Control device, 213... Circulation device, 214... Drive unit, 215... RFID reading device, 216... Main tank, 217... Sub-ink bottle, 218... Sub-intensifying liquid bottle, 219... Voltage sensor, 220... Print head, 230... Factory user, 300... Telecommunications network, 400... Cloud, 410... Information management device, 411... Server device, 412... Storage device, 500... Internet, 600... Supplier, 610... Terminal, 620... Service person

Claims

1. An inventory management system that manages inventory of multiple consumables including ink and intensifying liquid used in inkjet printers, comprising: an information reading device that reads RFID information including at least a lot number and expiration date from an RFID tag attached to the consumables; an information management device that stores RFID information of consumables installed in the inkjet printer and in use, and RFID information for each of multiple consumables stored as inventory at the site where the inkjet printer is installed; and a control device that controls the operation of the inkjet printer, wherein when the consumables installed in the inkjet printer are to be replaced, the control device presents the lot number of the consumable that is recommended for replacement based on the RFID information of the consumables stored as inventory.

2. An inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein RFID information of the consumables delivered as inventory to the site from the supplier of the consumables is stored in the information management device by the supplier.

3. In the inventory management system described in claim 1, the control device is characterized in that when the consumables of the inkjet printer are replaced, the control device presents the lot number of the consumable that has the nearest expiration date among the multiple consumables stored as inventory at the site.

4. An inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein the control device calculates the standard consumption amount of the consumables per unit period based on the consumption amount of the consumables registered daily, and when the consumables of the inkjet printer are replaced, determines whether the consumables can be used up within their expiration date based on the capacity, expiration date, and standard consumption amount of the consumables installed in the inkjet printer after replacement, and notifies the control device of the determination result if it is determined that the consumables cannot be used up within their expiration date.

5. In the inventory management system described in claim 1, the control device is characterized in that, if the total amount of consumption of the consumables registered daily exceeds the capacity of the consumables, it notifies the user that the replacement of the consumables has not been carried out properly.

6. In the inventory management system described in claim 1, the control device estimates and notifies the planned replacement date of the consumables based on the total amount of consumption of the consumables registered daily and the capacity of the consumables.

7. An inkjet printer comprising: an information reading device that reads RFID information, including at least a lot number and expiration date, from RFID tags attached to a plurality of consumables, including ink and intensifying liquid, used in the inkjet printer; and a control device that controls the operation of the inkjet printer, wherein when the consumables installed in the inkjet printer are replaced, the control device presents the lot number of the consumables recommended for replacement based on the RFID information of each of a plurality of consumables stored as inventory at the site where the inkjet printer is installed.

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